Prayer Forms Us, part 2
The way we engage in prayer profoundly shapes who we are. Prayer is not just a practice; it’s a transformative journey. In essence, prayer should form us. Let's take a look at The Lord's Prayer as a prayer that forms us.
Michael Wilson
10/2/20244 min read
Too often, we pray as if we are trying to persuade God to fulfill our needs or desires. Sometimes, we approach prayer as if we need to convince God to help us or someone we are praying for. Many times, we seek the agreement of others in prayer, as if God will only respond if a certain number of "prayer warriors" are involved. I have prayed in this manner for most of my life.
Until I learned that prayer is meant to form us. Jesus’ disciples saw something in the way that Jesus prayed that caused them to ask him to teach them how to pray. He gives them what we have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Some liturgical traditions call it the “Our Father.”
Regardless of what we call it, it is a prayer designed to form us into becoming more trusting sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. Let’s take a look at this prayer and see how it can form us.
Our Father in heaven
All of us need to belong, fit in, and find our place. I believe God created families so that we would have a place to belong. The very first place we belong is with the Father, face to face with him in complete union (see John 14:20). By starting with “Our Father” we are being formed by releasing the need to belong to anything or anyone else. We already belong. We already have a father and a family.
Your Name be honored as holy (Hallowed by your name)
We all want to feel important, seen, and appreciated. However, when this desire becomes excessive, it can lead to selfishness and self-centeredness. Many people tend to believe that everything revolves around them. By asking for God’s name to be honored as holy and set apart, we acknowledge that He should come first and is the most important. We honor His name through our actions and way of life. By prioritizing God’s honor, we free ourselves from the pressure of needing to be important. What truly matters is honoring God, not whether I am important or noticed.
Your kingdom come
Having been a Christian for a long time and being a part of many different churches and groups, I've witnessed a lot of efforts to build kingdoms. The issue is that these kingdoms were not for the Father, but for man. In my younger years, I tried to build my own spiritual kingdom, but thankfully the Lord freed me from that. Praying for God’s kingdom (his rule and reign) to come forms us by releasing us from the illusion of control. Control is just an illusion, yet it's something many of us strive for. The true test of surrender comes when your personal kingdom clashes with God’s kingdom. Who will prevail?
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
There are numerous things that we desire and pray for. Often, we present God with a list of our desires and expect Him to fulfill them all. It can be challenging to surrender our own will and desires for God's will and what He wants for us. I can imagine that it was very difficult for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, "not my will, but yours be done." Praying this part of the prayer forms us by helping us let go of the need to have everything we want. It's about submitting to someone who knows more than we do, allowing Him to govern our lives, our families, and ultimately our world.
Give us today our daily bread
Here we move from focusing on God’s will and desires to our collective and individual needs as human beings. Notice that it’s not “give me my daily bread”. It’s a communal request. As we pray this portion we are being formed by focusing on humanity as a whole. It isn’t just about me getting mine but about all of us getting what we need. It forms us by releasing us from worry. We trust that our Father will take care of what we need on a daily basis.
Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven debtors
Once again, notice that Jesus is still using the word "us." We all sin, although in different ways. Sometimes we might think we sin individually, but often we sin in systemic ways that are not immediately apparent to us. When we pray for collective forgiveness, it forms us to be free from judgment and helps us to overcome our tendency to judge others easily. We tend to judge others based on their actions while judging ourselves based on our motives. Praying for collective forgiveness places all of us on the same level because we all need forgiveness.
And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
All of us will face temptations, trials, and tests; no one is excluded. Jesus emphasizes the collective "us" in this line. It's not just about what I am going through, but I must also consider what others are facing. This part of the prayer forms us by reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles. We are not the only ones facing hardships, and we should pray for everyone going through difficult times.
Can you imagine Jesus praying this prayer with his disciples? Can you imagine the disciples hearing Jesus pray this prayer? Many people simply recite this prayer without giving much thought to its meaning or its ability to form us.
Prayer is meant to form us. Saying this prayer properly will form us to be sons and daughters who put God and others first, collectively identify with all humanity, and see the following in our lives:
A release from the need to belong
A release from the pressure to be important
A release from control
A release from the need to get everything I want
A release from worry
A release from being judgmental
A release from feeling alone
Prayer forms us if we allow it to!